Paris, France — Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) Chief Executive Officer Ryan Foster says its athletes are set to make a fashion statement at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris on Friday.

Foster told the Jamaica Observer that the JOA and its equipment partner Puma are ensuring that the Jamaican athletes and the colours will be a spectacle as they will be coming out for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games in new gear.

“I think the opening ceremony colours and apparel that Puma launched at the boys’ and girls’ championships in March were second to none,” Foster said. “I think at this opening ceremony in Paris, look out for it. It will be exceptional, as Paris is the mecca for fashion, and our athletes will be fashionable at the Olympic Games’ opening and closing ceremonies.”

The opening ceremony, expected to be watched by more than one billion people across the globe, will be held on the River Seine in the form of a four-mile-long floating procession. While the Eiffel Tower will be illuminated, thousands of athletes will travel on 160 boats through Paris as the procession culminates at Trocadero.

Foster says Jamaican gear and souvenirs are always the most sought-after items at international championships, and he expects it to be the same in Paris. Jamaica will be represented in track and field, swimming, diving, and judo at the Olympic Games, which will be held from July 26 to August 11.

“Puma has done a good job in terms of replicating our national colours, and I think our colours resonate across the world, because whenever we go to games, our Jamaica flag and colours, whether in flags or pins, are well sought after, and these Games will be no different,” Foster said. “The opening ceremony on July 26, as the organisers have indicated, will be a spectacle. Jamaica will be well represented, not just through our athletes, but also through our sporting federations and administrators who will be participating in the opening ceremony.”

Along with its track and field athletes, Jamaica will have two swimmers, one diver, and one judoka in Paris. The country won nine medals at the last Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, in 2021, consisting of four gold, one silver, and four bronze. Foster says he is expecting a great showing for all the country’s athletes in Paris.

“For these Games, Jamaica is going to do extremely well, and there will be many surprises in terms of the type of medals we are going to win in the variety of events we have qualified for,” he said. “Having swimming, diving, and judo represented in the Olympic Games is also good for the sports-for-all concept that we have garnered over the years.”

Team Jamaica models its new gear ahead of the Paris Olympics at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Athletics Championships at the National Stadium in March. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

FOSTER…our Jamaica flag and colours, whether in flags or pins, are well sought after, and these Games will be no different (Photo: Garfield Robinson)